Flight 415
by simplyrafferty
Summary: In the aftermath of a drunken confession, Donna and Harvey find themselves stuck 30,000 feet in the sky together. Loosely based on Intent.


**Hi everyone! This is the first story I've ever written by myself, and while I'm terrified to share it with the world, I'm also super proud of the work I've done. I've doubted my writing abilities for a long time now, so to be able to actually complete something like this is really special to me. Huge thanks to Elle (darveyiscanon1) for helping me through the entire process, from the late nights editing to helping me find more confidence with my writing. This story is also loosely based on Intent and is essentially my take on how it would've played out had Donna and Harvey been stuck together on a business trip. I hope you enjoy! **

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Flight 415

Harvey Specter had arrived at the airport an hour and a half early for his flight and was waiting impatiently for Louis to meet him at their gate. Louis had been invited by one of their biggest clients to attend a conference across the country in Los Angeles, and of course with Louis being Louis, he had roped Harvey into attending it with him. While he was almost excited for a change of pace from the current hustle and bustle of the firm, Harvey was definitely not too keen on spending a 4-day weekend with his partner, who of course was running late for their flight.

As he sat in the airport lounge looking out at all of the other travelers, his eyes caught a wave of red hair at a nearby gate. Harvey's mind instantly drifted to Donna, who was surely at the firm right now aligning everything so that he and Louis could attend the conference without a hitch.

As he sat there, his mind drifted back to a late-night last week. After finally closing the Jackson case they had been working on for a month, Harvey and Donna had decided to celebrate in their favorite way, with drinks in his office after everyone had left the firm for the night. They very quickly found themselves playfully intoxicated, listening to one of the records inside Harvey's office. After the stress that came along with working on a month-long case, this was precisely what both Donna and Harvey needed. Donna was sitting on his couch, humming the tune of the song currently playing when Harvey stood abruptly and offered her his hand.

"Donna," he whispered with a Cheshire cat-like grin, "Will you dance with me?"

At first, she looked back at him and giggled, but when she saw his smile fade she knew he was serious.

"Of course."

She stood and took his hand, suddenly feeling the effects of the alcohol with her sudden movement. She stumbled a little, still in her six-inch stilettos, and quickly found herself wrapped in Harvey's embrace.

"Careful there Paulsen," he warned with a wink as he began to sway to the music with her still in his arms.

Donna cursed herself for wearing a dress with an exposed back that day. She could feel her skin burning against his touch, his hand in hers as the other traced little circles around the small of her back. His heavy breath falling onto her neck as he softly sang the lyrics of the song while they swayed back and forth.

Harvey moved his hand from the small of her back to lift her up chin, his dark eyes now burning into hers. Maybe it was the alcohol or the fact that he was exhausted, but this felt so right. They fit together perfectly.

"You are so beautiful," he declared, brushing a stray hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear, as she found herself blushing under his gentle touch. "I wouldn't have been able to close this case without you, you know?" he explained, still looking into her brown eyes. "I know it has been hard for me to tell you how much I appreciate you, but you know I love you, Donna."

With his declaration, the song playing came to an end and the record player began to make a scratching noise from across the room. He walked away from her abruptly to remove the record from the player, leaving Donna standing there dazed and in disbelief.

Still shocked, she stood there with her mind flying at a million miles a minute. If she wasn't sobered up before, she sure was now. They didn't do this, she thought to herself. Not after _the other time_. He was her boss and their lines were clear. What did he mean that he loved her? That had to be the alcohol talking right? What if she felt the same way? She can't keep doing this anymore. Her thoughts were interrupted by Harvey speaking again.

"You should get home," he said to her bluntly, ignoring the fact that anything out of the ordinary had just happened between. "Ray is downstairs waiting; I'll have him take you to your place and I can catch a cab. I will go grab your coat." Harvey turned and headed out of his office.

When her brain finally caught up with what he had just said, Donna instantly turned on her heel and stormed into her office next door.

"What the hell was that Harvey?" she exclaimed.

"What the hell was what?" he answered, taking a step toward her.

"You know what." She replied bitterly, "You can't just tell me that you love me and then walk away as if nothing happened!"

"Donna-" He started, "You know what I meant."

"I'm not finished!" she cut him off. "We can't keep doing this Harvey! Our boundaries were clear, and they have been since the last time you ran away from this. What if I felt something in there?" She gestured to his office. "Of course it wouldn't matter because if you aren't ready we just go back to the way things were. That's what we always do. It's always whatever you want, and there is never any god damn regard for how I feel. Every time I think we are going to take that step you run away just as fast as you came. I'm tired of playing this game Harvey!" she stared back at him, now awaiting a reply.

"Donna…" he paused, collecting his thoughts and taking a deep breath, "I said those things because they are true, but I don't know what I want," he lied. "We have everything just the way things are, and I'm not sure that I want it to change."

"We have everything?" she screamed. "Harvey, you're the one who has everything!" She grabbed her coat from him and turned to head for the door before turning back around. "You want to go back to the way things were before? So be it." And with that, she was gone.

Little did Harvey know that the way things were before would be them ignoring each other unless they had to discuss something for work. Their conversations were brief and cold at best, and Harvey knew that he had put their relationship on the line yet again with his inability to express just how he felt to her.

Harvey loved her from afar because it was easier that way for him. He could be detached, but still care for her deeply. When almost two weeks had gone by with them still moving in circles around one another, he knew something needed to change. It terrified him, but he knew if he still wanted to have the love of his life involved in his life, he would have to tell Donna how he felt.

….

Harvey snapped back into reality when he realized he was in the middle of the airport, and after reliving the past two weeks of his life, he decided he needed a drink. Harvey stood and headed towards one of the airport's bars while he was digging in his pocket for his phone to call Louis and find out where the hell his partner was. With his head down dialing the number, he ran straight into a woman who was also on her phone.

"Donna? What are you doing here?" he inquired as he realized the woman he had just collided with was the same one he had just been thinking about not even 5 minutes prior.

"Louis had to cancel last minute, something about a cat emergency. He sent me instead because he insisted that there had to be two representatives from the firm at the conference," Donna replied smugly. "Oh, and Mike was busy visiting Rachel's family for the weekend." She added with an eye roll.

Great, Harvey thought to himself. Leave it to Louis Litt to schedule a 4-day cross country trip and then cancel, leaving Harvey with the woman he secretly loved with whom he was hardly on speaking terms with.

The next hour passed with the pair sitting across from each other at their gate in silence until an announcement came on over the speakers, saying that flight 415 to Los Angeles will now begin boarding. They both instantly stood at the same time, and Harvey reached down to grab his carry-on bag as well as Donna's.

"Don't worry, I've got it," he proclaimed as she looked back at him with an annoyed stare before snatching her luggage away from him.

"I can carry my own bag, Harvey. I don't need you to do everything for me all the time," she spat back before pushing him out of the way to board the plane, choosing the aisle seat once she did. Harvey took his seat next to her, because of course, Louis booked two seats right next to each other for him and Harvey.

They both sat there in silence again waiting for the flight to take off. The air between them felt heavy as if there was a wall standing between them. Harvey was watching Donna as she gazed out the window, wondering how things had gone so wrong between them so quickly.

"So what do you see out there? Anything interesting?" Harvey asked, trying to make any sort of conversation to ease the tension between them.

"Just some workers around, not really much going on outside," she said back unenthusiastically while reaching into her purse to pull out the play she had been meaning to reread. She thought that taking out her reading materials would shut Harvey up, but was instantly mistaken.

"Oh, what's that you're reading? It looks interesting," he quipped. "I haven't done much reading since I finished Law School really, but I used to love it as a kid."

"It's _A Midsummer Night's Dream, _Harvey. Now, if you wouldn't mind I'd love to read it in peace please," she declared, feeling herself grow more irritated with him by the minute. They had successfully ignored each other for almost two weeks, and _now_ he wanted to make small talk?

Not even ten minutes later, Harvey tapped on Donna's shoulder. "You know, I read that play in high school. Pretty compelling story right? It almost reminds me of-"

He was cut off by her hand being held up, signaling him to stop talking as she turned to look at him. Donna was furious. She had absolutely nothing to say to Harvey since their fight nearly two weeks ago, and all of her hurt had turned into anger the second Louis asked her to fill in for him at the conference.

Her stare burned into his eyes before she spoke. "Harvey, I want to be on this trip even less than you do right now, and I have no intention of making this seven-hour flight feel even longer by having a meaningless conversation."

Donna's words cut him like knives. He really did mess everything up between them that night in his office two weeks ago. Why couldn't he just tell her how he felt? The feelings had been there for a long time, but Harvey constantly found himself lacking the words to match what was in his heart.

Of course, they had had arguments before, about work, family, and even their respective relationships. But as he sat here on this plane next to the woman he loved, who could barely even make eye contact with him, he found himself worried once again that this would destroy them. Harvey had always been the type of man to take risks, but with Donna, it was different. Before, he couldn't risk his feelings ruining things between them if she didn't feel the same way, but now he felt like she was slipping through his fingers and that there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Little did he know that the woman sitting right next to him was wondering the exact same thing. As Donna sat attempting to read the Shakespeare sitting on her lap, she found her mind drifting, wondering how she and Harvey had gotten to this place.

Ever since Harvey's drunken confession, her feelings that she had buried so well over the years were all brought back up to the surface. After _the other time,_ she swore to herself that they would never be anything more than friends, and he agreed. It was what they both wanted right? She had her rule and he wanted her to come work for him again. But rules were made to be broken, and the lines that were once so clear to her were now as blurry as they could get. She was the person he would call at six in the morning, or at midnight when he needed someone. They would talk and flirt and sometimes touch a little too much, and she had convinced herself that none of their actions had any deeper meaning. Until he told her he loved her, that is.

Secretly, a little part of Donna had maintained hope that one day things would work out between them, and that she and Harvey would be together. Now she was smacked in the face with her feelings again. But it wasn't supposed to be like this for them. His "I love you" wasn't supposed to be a drunken confession. He wasn't supposed to run away from the way he felt like he had so many times before. Maybe the timing would never be right for the two of them, she thought.

So, there they sat in the middle of their flight, right next to each other but so far apart.

…

It had been about three hours since their flight took off from New York City, and both Donna and Harvey had maintained their silence after their earlier bickering.

Harvey didn't want to upset Donna even more than he already had, but he also knew that he must get her to talk to him if he ever wanted to fix things between them. He needed a way to get her attention but was interrupted by the flight attendant.

"Excuse me, sir, would you and your wife like anything to drink?" The woman asked.

"Oh," Donna interjected, "He's not my—"

She was cut off by Harvey. "You don't happen to have strawberries and whipped cream on this flight, do you?" Harvey asked jokingly with a smirk painted across his face.

Donna's jaw almost hit the floor at his question. She couldn't believe that in the midst of the mess they found themselves in that Harvey could even bring up _the other time_, even if he was joking. She had had enough, and being so close to him on the flight wasn't helping.

Meanwhile, Harvey had taken it upon himself to order a drink for him and Donna. As the flight attendant handed Harvey a glass, the airplane hit a bit of turbulence, splashing the red wine in the cup he was holding directly onto Donna's cream-colored sweater.

"Dammit, Harvey! You have to be kidding me! You couldn't even respect the fact that I don't want to have a conversation with you and now you get wine on my favorite sweater? You really do ruin everything, huh?" she raised her voice at him.

"Me? I ruin everything?" he countered. "Look I'm sorry about your sweater, but you won't even give me a minute of your time to listen to what I have to say. Yet somehow, I'm the one who's destroying everything in this situation. Donna, you've been ignoring me for the last two weeks, please just listen to what I have to say," he tried.

She sighed in response, "Harvey, I don't want to do this right now." Donna stood up and scooted over Harvey out into the aisle of the airplane. She found herself walking about five rows down from her current seat, leaning over, and asking the man sitting there very nicely if they could please switch seats for the remainder of the flight.

Harvey was met with shock when a short blonde man with glasses returned to take the seat previously occupied by Donna. "Unbelievable," Harvey muttered under his breath as the man adjusted in his new seat.

…

Another hour of their six-hour flight had now passed, and Harvey found himself getting antsy. He needed to explain himself to Donna, but he still couldn't find a way to get her to listen. He was tired of running from the way he felt, and now that he finally realized that it might be too late. Harvey stood from his seat and found the row Donna had moved to. He slipped the man next to her a fifty dollar bill in exchange for his seat, and before Donna knew what was happening, Harvey slid down into the seat next to her.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, feeling her face getting warm.

"I'll tell you what I'm doing," he began, "I'm going to tell you what I've been trying for the last four hours, and you are going to listen to what I have to say."

"Fine Harvey. You have five minutes, and then I'm going back to my book," she gave in.

"Donna, you know that I am a risk-taker. I make high stakes deals with clients day in and day out like it's nothing. I've always been a gambling man with regard to everything in my life, everything except for you that is." He took a shaky breath in, about to continue when he was cut off by her soft speech.

"Why?" she asked, tears starting to build in her eyes, making him want to reach out and hold her. "Why is it different Harvey?"

"I...For the longest time...I just," Harvey found himself panicking yet again, struggling to find the words to tell her what he had been wanting to for so long now.

"Stop Harvey. We aren't going around in this circle again. I told you this two weeks ago!" She explained as she could feel herself getting hotter with every second that passed, her blood almost boiling. She hated that in the midst of all her anger she still found him so attractive in the tight gray sweater he was wearing. "I never know what it's gonna be with you Harvey. You act as if you want me one minute and then you run away when it gets too real for you!" She shook her head, now realizing he was sitting far too close to her. Their knees touching and damn it she could feel his every breath from the seat next to her. She felt like she was about to explode.

Donna had kept her feelings inside for so long, it felt like they were all pouring out of her as she continued, raising her voice at him and causing other passengers to look at them. "And how _dare_ you bring up the other time after we agreed that we would never talk about it! I buried my feelings because you weren't ready to face yours yet! This is unbelievable, Harvey. I can't do this anymore," she seethed.

Harvey just stared back at her, silent. He felt extreme guilt coming over him for causing her all this hurt, more pain than he had ever realized before. He loved her, god damn it, why couldn't he just tell her that.

"I will be taking the next flight back to New York as soon as we land, I don't care what Louis says, we don't need two representatives from the firm at this god damn conference. When you get back we will find you a new secretary." She stood up and pushed past him for the second time today, and once again the blonde man that switch seats with her earlier was finding his seat next to Harvey.

Harvey felt like his entire world was about to fall to pieces. He was about to lose the woman he loved, his best friend, his secretary, all because he couldn't explain the ways he loved her. He was exhausted, and frustrated by the fact that he was turned on by Donna being right like she always was. Harvey knew that he ran away from his feelings, but this time he wasn't the only one who was running, and he wasn't going to give up on their relationship without a fight.

As soon as he stood, he could feel a tightness in his pants, but Harvey didn't care anymore. He marched down the aisle of the plane to where Donna was sitting, the man sitting next to her giving him a strange look. "Get up." Harvey grabbed Donna's hand and pulled her up from her seat. "Follow me," he instructed as he led them toward the airplane bathroom.

Donna felt a rush as soon as his hand grabbed hers, he was aggressive but gentle at the same time and something about the way he was acting made the pit of her stomach tighten a little. She was hurt, exhausted, and pissed off that even when she was furious with him he had this effect on her.

They reached the bathroom and he pulled her inside, slamming the door behind her. Their bodies pressed against each other in the compact space, and there was hardly any room to move. She could feel his breath, hot and heavy on her neck as she looked up at him and was met by his darkened stare. Before she knew what was happening his lips crashed against hers, slamming her body against the bathroom or the door.

She kissed him back passionately, all the frustration seemed to have dissipated from her body as he sucked her bottom lip. She deepened the kiss, granting his tongue access, their kisses becoming sloppy and desperate until she broke them apart, pulling back for air.

"Wait Harvey," Donna stopped him before he could kiss her again. "I know you're frustrated. I am too. If we do this, we can't go back to the way we were before. I won't do it again."

"Donna," he pushed a stray piece of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I don't want things to go back to the way they were before. I want you. All of you."

His lips met hers again, this time kissing her gently. Their kisses felt different this time, both of them on a high they had never felt before. This was different than the last time. They were finally where they were supposed to be. She could feel her skin burning under his touch as she ran her hands through his hair. His lips trailed down her jaw to her neck and Donna leaned her head back in pleasure, running her nails down his back. She could feel his growing bulge pressed against her thigh as she reached down to touch him through his pants.

Harvey's hand snaked up Donna's torso beneath her sweater, his fingers grabbing her breast and kneading it over the fabric of her bra. He needed her like he needed air to breathe, and he wanted to see her. All of her. Harvey reached for the hem of her sweater in an attempt to pull the wine-stained material over her head, instead smacking his elbow against the sink of the tiny bathroom they were in.

"Shit," he uttered as Donna laughed at him trying to maneuver in such a small space.

As soon as he got her sweater off, their lips melted together again while his hands traveled around to her back to unclasp her bra, getting the fabric stuck on the faucet as he tried to toss it to the floor.

"You were a lot smoother the last time, Specter," Donna quipped, "Do I make you nervous now?" she said with a smirk, clearly making fun of the struggle he was having trying to be sexy in an airplane bathroom.

"Hey, watch it, Paulsen," he warned. His hand began to tease her breast, he kissed his way down her stomach until he hit the top of her jeans, unbuttoning them and slowly pulling the material down her legs until she was left standing in front of him in nothing but a black lace thong.

"You're gorgeous," he proclaimed, before desperately kissing her again. Donna felt like she was about to melt, a warm feeling growing in her core as Harvey's lips slanted against hers, their tongues colliding.

Suddenly, Donna realized Harvey was wearing far too many layers of clothing for her. She reached for the hem of his sweater, "take it off," she instructed, as he did what he was told. Slamming his elbow onto the sink once again.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath while Donna giggled at him. "You know it's really hard to be this sexy in such a small space," he joked.

Donna tried to keep the moment going by running her nails down his chest, tracing her way down to his abdomen before undoing his belt and the zipper of his pants. "these too," she whispered, gently pressing her lips to his cheek. After about a minute and a half struggle with his pants, Harvey was finally standing in front of Donna in nothing but his boxers.

Donna's hand found its way inside his underwear, feeling him throb at her touch. She slowly snaked her hand around his length, stroking him at an excruciating pace. Harvey felt like his world was turning upside down as she slowly peeled off his boxers, teasing his tip until he couldn't wait to feel her any longer.

"Donna…" he warned, his voice low and husky. "I need you."

He grabbed her body, pulling her against him as he hooked his fingers on the fabric of her thong, bending down to remove the dainty fabric and smacking his head on a handrail in the process.

"What the hell? How do people usually do this?" he remarked loudly as Donna shushed him.

"Harvey, if you don't quiet down everyone out there is going to be enjoying the show as much as we are," she warned, kissing his forehead in between quiet giggles.

After some more maneuvering and positioning, Harvey finally scooped her up in his arms and entered her carefully, allowing her time to adjust. Even though it felt new to both of them, they fit together perfectly. He began to thrust inside her slowly, but his momentum quickly sped up as his desire to feel every inch of her increased. He kissed her desperately while pumping in and out of her, feeling drunk off how good she tasted. He had forgotten just how good they worked together.

As they moved in perfect synchrony, Donna let a moan escape her lips. Her mouth was suddenly covered by Harvey's finger shushing her, another gentle reminder that they were in fact in the bathroom of a flight that was filled with 500 strangers.

She leaned her head back in ecstasy as Harvey moved in and out of her, feeling her walls begin to contract with each move he made. He didn't stop until he pushed her over the edge, hitting her climax as he reached his mere seconds after. Their hands met and fingers intertwined as they allowed their breathing to steady.

Harvey tilted her chin up to look at her, "That was…"

"Better than I remembered," Donna finished for him.

Harvey helped Donna get dressed in the small confines of the bathroom, before putting his clothes on and smacking his hand and elbow against the wall at least three more times in the process. Donna's soft eyes met his and he took her hand, finally ready to tell her what he had been trying to get out for so long.

He took an unsteady breath before he spoke. "Donna, ever since I was a kid, everything and everyone that I loved would always leave in one way or another. When my mother cheated on my father, I think a part of me broke. I lost fate in relationships after their divorce, which is why I've never been able to truly commit to anyone. When my father died, I felt like I was completely alone in the world, but I knew I wasn't, because I had you."

"Harvey, why are you telling me this now? I know how you feel." Donna asked in response, her voice almost at a whisper.

"Because Donna, I need you to know that with you, I know I'll never be alone. For twelve years you have stuck by me through everything, and I've always been too scared to risk losing you because I thought we had everything. But two weeks ago on that night in my office, you made me realize that I was the only one who had everything. I have been keeping you at arms length for so long because it was easier than having anything more with you. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you," he reached out to touch her cheek, brushing her hair behind her ear. "For so long, I wasn't able to access my feelings because I was terrified of losing you. But I'm finally where I need to be, Donna," he paused to smile at her before continuing, "I love the way you sing in your office when you think no one can hear you and the way you look when you are concentrating. I love how much you love reading and that shitty thai place we always order from. But most importantly, I love you, Donna Paulsen."

Her teary eyes met his as she kissed him softly. "And I love you, Harvey Specter," she proclaimed, pulling him for another kiss.

"Hey," Harvey whispered, "Maybe we should thank Louis for canceling on us after all."

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**Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this story and if you did feel free to leave me some comments, I'd love to hear any feedback!**

**Also, another huge shoutout to Alayah for supporting me the whole was as well. **


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